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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2011)
Page 24 The INDEPENDENT, May 5, 2011 Oregon launches new online invasive species database After two years of surveying scientists and land managers, and engaging the help of part- ners across the United States, Oregon has launched iMapIn- vasives (http://www.imapinva- sives.org/orimi/map/), an on- line, GIS-based invasive spe- cies reporting and querying tool. iMapInvasives, developed through a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, Na- tureServe, the New York Natur- al Heritage Program, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, and the Oregon Biodiversity Infor- mation Center, will help land managers, regional planners, and others who are working to prevent, control or manage in- vasive species to accurately and quickly record and track where all types of invasive plants, animals, fish, and dis- eases are found. “This is a huge step forward for Oregon,” said Northwest Weed Management Partner- ship Coordinator and Oregon Invasive Species Council mem- ber, Vern Holm. “There are oth- er tools that provide important functions for organizations such as ours, but iMapInva- sives provides a very compre- hensive package to meet the needs of public and private land managers and citizen sci- entists, and it’s exciting that Oregon is one of the first west- ern states to use the program.” iMapInvasives provides trained users with their own in- teractive GIS data base, where they can enter and retrieve site information, share data with partnering organizations, and plan for future activities. In the future, iMapInvasives will also allow users to record and re- trieve treatment data. The initial list of species in- cluded in iMapInvasives was developed from the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s “A” and “B” noxious weed lists, the Oregon Invasive Species Council’s 100 Worst Invaders, noxious weeds listed in neigh- boring states, and any species that partner agencies are track- ing. The tool has launched with over 85,000 observations of in- vasive species, and the list will continue to grow as species are recommended. The Oregon Biodiversity Information Center is managing iMapInvasives for the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The Center will review each species before adding to the list to ensure the species is invasive and its taxonomy aligns with NatureServe’s stan- dards. One of the greatest benefits to iMapInvasives is that, while an organization can upload large batches of information at once, anyone with data entry access can add observations at any time. “One of the reasons our or- ganization provided financial support to iMapInvasives is be- cause of the many functions it can provide,” said Sam Leininger, WeedWise Program Manager at the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Dis- trict. “…instead of using fifty- plus databases to manage in- vasives, we now have one cen- tral location [to] input data, share data with partners, and have access to real-time infor- mation.” iMapInvasives leverages the utility of the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline (http://orego- ninvasiveshotline.org/), the go- to place for questions about species people are seeing that they think might be invasive, or for those who have an observa- tion to report but do not want or need an iMapInvasives ac- count. When a suspected inva- sive is reported, Hotline experts for each county review reports in their area to determine if the observation is indeed an inva- sive species. Confirmed obser- vations from the hotline will be downloaded twice yearly to iMapInvasives. The public will be able to view general distribution data of invasive species, while those who request an account will be able to see point observation data, as well as detailed as- sessment/treatment polygons when this feature is added later this year. We’re…“pleased to have played an important role in initi- ating a fundraising effort, and doing the legwork to offer a great product,” said Rian Hooff of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. “We look forward to continued strong partnerships with groups throughout Oregon that manage invasive species.” iMapInvasives will comple- Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District Surplus Sale Homelite Generator - 120v, 1700w AC 14.2 amps Homelite Generator - 115v, 2500w AC 21.1 amps Homelite Trash Pumps (4) - 385 GPM Letter Maker 115v, .5 amps Kodak Slide Projector - 120v, 400w (no carousel) 1981 Ford Wildland Brush Rig Gas powered - 1000 gal tank $500 minimum offer To make an offer on any of the items or for more Information call the VRFPD office at 503-429-8252 Bids must be received by June 15 ment WeedMapper (http://www. weedmapper.org), a collection of information man- aged by the Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture, on the dis- tribution of noxious weeds in the state. Weed-Mapper facili- tates identification, reporting, verification and early detection and rapid response for noxious weeds. An updated version of Weedmapper will be available the first week of May. For more information about how to use iMapInvasives, visit Portland State University’s Ore- gon Biodiversity Information Website at http://orbic.pdx.edu /invasives.html. The site con- tains background information, frequently asked questions, and training videos. The Oregon Invasive Species Council was estab- lished by the Oregon Legisla- ture in 2002. Its mission is to conduct a coordinated and comprehensive effort to keep invasive species out of Oregon and to eliminate, reduce, or mit- igate the impacts of invasive species already established in Oregon. Members of the coun- cil include both punlic and pri- vate oranizations. The Independent has received a num- ber of quality Letters to the Editors lately without signatures. Unfortunately, it is our policy not to print anonymous or un- signed letters. If you are afraid to sign your name, let us know as we may choose to print any- way as long as we know who you are. But remember the signers of the Consti- tution – who knowing- ly put their livelihood, property, families and lives in jeopardy so we can enjoy the free- doms we have today.
